“For my family, the organ donation process was a blessing,” Ricardo’s mom said. “My son had expressed his desire to be an organ donor when he got his license and fortunately we remembered this quickly enough to make it happen.

“In such a difficult time, the organ donation process allowed us to understand the true meaning of the gift of life. It also helped us deal with the grief of our loss, knowing someone else would receive the gift of life.

“The entire staff treated my family with such kindness and gratitude. The sincerity in their words and care was comforting in a time when nothing could comfort our pain. They treated our son as a hero and from the moment we made the decision to donate to the moment of honor right before he was taken into surgery, they were in charge, which allowed my family the ability to grieve and say Good-bye to my son.

“I would like to thank Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency [a member of Donate Life Florida] for taking this journey with me, and stepping up to make a difference not only in the recipients’ life, but in my family’s.”